Flume and Besenji @ Electric Factory.

Text by Christopher Donahue. Images by Teresa McCullough.

This past Wednesday, the Electric Factory hosted one of Australia’s biggest names in the electronic community: Flume. Last time the beatmaster rode into Philadelphia was two years ago, and with his absence you could feel a yearning in the air from hungry fans.

Besenji, a fellow-Future Classic labelmate, took to the stage first, providing a range of mixed beats to match the eclectic crowd pouring through the doors. But it was the hype and praise surrounding the anticipation of the headliner that could be felt in full force.

The lights went off and the entire place fell silent. The audience scanned the stage for their mix-meister to start dropping his magic, remaining on edge in the darkness as the current sounds went from high to low in a sea of pitch black. A strobe started to flicker and a beat began to rumble. Flume popped out of the shadows as the crowd cheered him on, cell phones in hand trying to capture every moment of his appearance.

If there’s anything a die-hard Flume fan knows, it’s that he will take fans on a journey of emotions through light and sound. He started this trip with the RnB/electronic fused single “Holdin On,” the track that landed him a 2013 ARIA award in his homeland.

From there on, he performed popular singles including the trip-hop track “The Top” that had every mouth rapping the lyrics, to the soulful “Left Alone” keeping the crowd captivated in a spacey groove.

The visuals for Flume’s shows followed his usual theme of a multicolored kaleidoscope feel which mirrors the dream-trap sound he is praised for. While the visuals became more vibrant, Flume took the opportunity to take his fans further into a trance-like experience with favorites such as “Sleepless” and “Insane” which truly sent the crowd into a frenzy. The insanity didn’t stop there as Flume quickly transitioned into “Never Be Like You,” the lead single off his second studio album Skin, and the notorious track that landed him commercial success. The crowd was as antsy as ever as Flume eased them into the Tove-Lo collaboration “Say It,” another fan favorite off the new album.

Flume ended his set with his uber romantic remix of Disclosures “You & Me.” Under his final control of the night, the majority of concertgoers locked lips with their partners as they swung and swayed back and forth to the synth-heavy, bass-fueled anthem that all Flume fans know and love.